MenuClose

Withdrawal Issues

Attachment Large Size Large Wp Image 3138

Providing Trusted, Evidence-Based
Treatment for Three Decades and Counting

If you or a loved one is experiencing addiction, we’re here to help.

 

If you struggle with prescription drug abuse, the thought of severe drug withdrawal can be a big hurdle to your sobriety. In this article, you will learn more about prescription drug withdrawal and how you can get clean. No matter where you are today, sobriety is still in your reach.

Prescription Drug Withdrawal

Man in pain closeupAddictive prescription drugs are usually classified as narcotics.Many of these drugs are Schedule I or Schedule II drugs.[1] These drugs have a powerful effect on the body’s neurological system. Chemicals called neurotransmitters go back and forth between nerve endings, which allows the body to feel pain and pleasure. Prescription drugs fit right in with these chemicals. Then the drugs magnify or substitute their natural effects.

Narcotic medication can provide pain relief. However, these drugs also create pleasurable sensations for the user. If they are abused, the body often becomes dependent on them. The individual may also form a strong emotional need for the pleasurable effects, and this usually means a person is addicted.

Withdrawal and Your Addiction Recovery

Over time, your body adjusts to the chemicals in the prescription drugs. Withdrawal symptoms are the body’s way of saying it knows that it needs to take control again.

However, if you don’t assist your body, it is possible to get caught in a cycle of relapse. You may have great intentions of staying clean, but the withdrawal symptoms can be severe. If you take a few pills to get through the pain, you continue the drug abuse cycle.

A few pills can lead to a few more pills. Then you sabotage your attempt at sobriety. Just good intentions are not enough to make sobriety work. When you are dealing with narcotic drugs, it is important to have the support you need to get over this hurdle before you can really work on addiction recovery.

Cold Turkey or Drug Detox

Woman in medical drug detoxYou may believe you have a strong enough will to make it through withdrawal. You may believe you should do this all on your own, and go cold turkey rather than go through drug detox. Unfortunately, you are not likely to have the outcome you desire. You may be misinformed about how the cold turkey approach works.

Some drugs have more tolerable withdrawal symptoms, so cold turkey can occasionally work. However, narcotic drugs are notoriously difficult on a person’s body. Going cold turkey can be particularly concerning if you have any other health risks. For example, depression and other health challenges can be triggered by any prolonged withdrawal symptoms. It is much safer to have medical supervision throughout the entire process. You can have much more confidence starting your life of sobriety when you have medications, 24-hour monitoring, and emotional support through your roughest withdrawal moments.

Dealing with Withdrawal

Prescription drug withdrawal is practically impossible to avoid if you are addicted. Your body will have something to say about it when you try to stop. The U.S National Library of Medicine states that most opiate overdose deaths occur in people who have just detoxed.[2] If you plan on changing your lifestyle, please go through drug withdrawal in a smart way. There are medicines available such as methadone and naltrexone that can make the withdrawal process more comfortable. Please do not wait any longer—you can take your first steps of recovery right now. Feel free to call us today to find out more about drug detox and addiction treatment programs. We’re here to help.


Sources

[1] https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling Drug Schedules.

[2] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000949.htm Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal

LIVE CHAT